Family Ties
by Krasp
Summary: Sirius Black is now a free man, adjusting to life after been locked up for twelve years. He wants nothing more than to start a new life with his godson Harry, but Dumbledore is standing in the way, insisting that Sirius fix his broken family before bringing a child into his home. (New Chapters are up!)
1. Chapter 1

Sirius Black was a free man, but he certainly didn't feel like it. The letter of pardon from the Ministry lay haphazardly on the table next to a satchel that had contained his wand and several thousand galleons they had sent by way of apology. _As if galleons and a piss-poor apology are supposed to give me back the twelve years they stole from me._ He thought sourly, scowling at his reflection. _They stole those years from Harry too,_ a smaller voice said. He's suffered thirteen years living with those muggles who don't give a damn whether he lives or dies.

With a pang, he realized how little he had been conversing with his godson. His official pardon by the ministry had been all over the Daily Prophet, so his godson knew he was a free man. It wasn't as though he didn't want to talk with him. He was having a difficult time adjusting to being free. The first day after he was pardoned he had tried to assimilate back into normal wizarding society by going to Diagon Alley. He was met by screams and fainting witches. It was like he hadn't been freed at all. _You're feeling sorry for yourself._ He set his jaw, pulled out his wand, and went to work.

He shortened his waist length hair to shoulder length, and blasted away the built- up grime on his skin. The last touch was scraping away the stubble that had taken over his face. He looked years younger. He found himself smiling despite his dour mood. Time to go get my godson. Dumbledore had warned Sirius of the repercussions of taking Harry out of the protection of the blood magic that surrounded Privet Drive ever since he had escaped Azkaban and had proved his innocence to the headmaster. Sirius knew that the blood magic protected Harry from things he did not wish to fathom. Unspeakable things. But he was Harry's family, was he not? He would die to protect Harry. Didn't that count for something?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: The coming chapters will be MUCH longer. Please read and review! (:**

Thousands of miles away, Calista Black sets down her paper. For the third time in twelve years, her brothers' face had graced the front page of the Daily Prophet. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The years had turned her aristocratic beauty harsh after years of near starvation had drained the bloom of youth out of her features. Her wavy black hair swung down to her waist. As she brushed it, she thought of Sirius. She had disowned him the night Lily and James were murdered- hadn't believed her brother when he came to her screaming about the betrayal.

Instead she had disapperated to a remote town in Ireland, and from there had gone to America, where she had been for the past twelve years. She worked mostly in bars, barely managing to eat most days. It wasn't the lack of money that made her go hungry, she could easily use magic to duplicate the food bought with her meager salary.

It was the guilt of abandoning her twin. She turned her thoughts to her younger brother- he had died after joining forces with Lord Voldemort. Regulus-the baby of the family, frightened of his own shadow, a Death Eater. _He wasn't exactly a baby when he joined._ She reminded herself. _He knew what he was getting into, the git._

Regulus had been the favorite. He followed their parent's every wish. He had been sorted into Slytherin whereas she and Sirius had been sorted into Gryffindor. (Calista had had to sit underneath the hat for nearly thirty minutes. It had nearly torn itself in two. It couldn't decide whether to place her in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor..) Regulus perpetuated a hatred for muggleborns that could rival the darkest of Death Eaters. His relationship with his brother and sister had all but ceased to exist by the time he was fifteen. His death had come as no shock to her. She had felt a flicker of sadness for her baby brother, but it dissipated as quickly as it had come.


	3. Going, Gone

**A/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, I know I said the upcoming chapters would be longer, but chapter four is taking A LOT more work than I expected. Be prepared for the monster that is chapter four. :3 As always, please keep reading and reviewing!**

Dear Cali,

We miss you around here! Harry has started to walk- we've had to put cushioning charms on nearly everything! He really loves the Quidditch mobile you sent for his birthday. When he's not zooming around on the toy broomstick that Sirius gave him, he's staring at the mobile. James thinks he'll be on the team one day for sure. (I for one, can wait MANY years until he goes away to school.) It's been awfully quiet around here. Sirius popped in the other day, and I don't think he's mad about finding Moony in your flat anymore. He's just putting on the goofy big -brother act. (Yes, I know he's only ten minutes older, but it sure was a shock to find him there! ) Dumbledore is going to put the final phase of the plan into place very soon, so I hope I get to see you before then. We all miss you very much. It's so boring without you and Sirius going at each other, and Moony trying to stop you two from blowing each other up. I even miss Wormy- although we did see him a few weeks ago - he looks ill. The war is beginning to take it's toll on him. You know how fragile he is. Frankly, it's wearing on all of us. When it's all over we can all sleep a bit easier. I didn't mean to end this letter on such a macabre note- I really hope to see you soon.

Love always,

Lily

Calista carefully folded the letter and slid it back into its envelope. The pain of losing her best friend was especially painful at that moment. The guilt of abandoning her family and past was overwhelming. She felt sick to her stomach- unable to feel anything but the all -consuming grief and despair. She knew what she had to do. Wiping away the tears flowing from her grey eyes, she pulled out her wand, and disapperated.


	4. The Godfather

_Privet Drive...guess this is it._ Sirius shifted uncomfortably as he stared at the gilded sign. The letters were gold, and it was rimmed with a black border. It was far too pretentious for his liking. It brought to mind stuffy noon teas with old biddies in disastrous hats. He felt odd walking down the street in human form, but he had done his best to acclimatize: Sirius had donned a three piece suit and slicked back his thick black hair. He was clean shaven and had even gone as far to put on a splash of cologne.

If anyone was looking out their window,(Which he suspected they were, given the ostentatiousness of the neighborhood) they would have assumed that he was a businessman looking for a home to buy. He looked nothing like his post-Azkaban self. His chances of being recognized were slim to none. Sirius had spent the past three days in the small forest on the outskirts of Privet Drive in his animagus form while keeping an eye on number four. Surely, the Dursleys had to go on a family outing at some point.

_Today seemed to be that day._ He stepped aside as the Dursleys barreled down the road in their sedan. It took every fiber of his willpower not to burst out laughing. Vernon looked like some sort of bovine creature with skin the color of current ice-cream, Petunia looked as though she was sucking on a lemon,and their child was roughly the size and weight of a young Orca whale. _And I thought I looked bad coming out of prison._ Swallowing his laughter, Sirius knocked on number four's door.

A short time later, the door opened a crack. "Yes?" His godson's voice sounded tiny and fearful. His instincts were alarmed at once. "Harry. It's me, Sirius. May I come in?" The door swung open, revealing his godson. A yellowing bruise over his right eye screamed the abuse that Sirius had long suspected. Harry looked as though he hadn't slept in days, and his clothes were clearly hand-me-downs from his cousin the whale.

"Sirius! You're free now!" Sirius managed a whisper of a smile, but his eyes were flashing with rage. "Harry. What the hell happened to your face?" Harry touched the bruise gingerly. "Oh, that." "That?!" Sirius could barely keep his tone even. "I burned the bacon." "MERLIN'S BEARD I SWEAR IF THAT BASTARD WAS HERE I WOULD RIP HIM LIMB FROM LIMB, I'D-"

"Sirius, please keep your voice down! Do you want the neighbors to call the policemen?" Harry hissed, his bright green eyes scanning frantically down the quiet street for nosy neighbors.

Still enraged, Sirius obliged, his grey eyes murderous. "Harry, I'm taking you out of here. I won't stand for this. Dursley's lucky that I don't turn them all to slugs." His godson went even paler. "I would go with you, but Dumbledore just sent me a letter and he said that I can't leave Privet Drive yet." He handed Sirius the letter. After reading it, Sirius wordlessly wrapped his godson in his arms. Harry didn't protest the embrace."Harry, I'm so sorry. I swear to you that I will make this right. Maybe I can talk some sense into Dumbledore. He was very vague about his reasoning- Perhaps he can be persuaded."

Harry laughed hollowly. "You haven't been around Dumbledore for a while."

"I can be pretty persuasive." He pulled his godson tighter. "I swear to you Harry, they will never hurt you again." "It's all right really. They don't hit me that often." Sirius held Harry at arms' length, his expression incredulous. "They shouldn't hit you AT ALL!" "Sirius, please be quiet!"

"Harry, I'm your godfather, and I swore I would keep you out of harms way. I have to do something. You understand that, don't you?" Harry disentangled himself from his godfather's bear hug, crossing his arms. "I've dealt with them for thirteen years. I can deal with them for a while longer." Pain shot through his heart, but Sirius could see that the child that he had left the previous summer had ceased to exist.

Harry was becoming a young adult before his eyes. He could see faint traces of facial hair beginning to grow on his boyish face. Sirius found that he could not look his godson in the eye anymore. "I'm sorry that I….wasn't there before." His voice cracked horribly, and to his horror, he could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. Harry threw his arms around him, burrowing his head in his shoulder. Sirius noted that he was tall enough to rest his chin there if he desired. "It's okay Padfoot. At least you're here now."


	5. Sweet Dreams

_"You incestuous little shits, I told you no more sharing a bed!" Sirius kept his jaw in a firm line, he would not allow the tears to spill. He must be brave. He must be brave for Calista. Their father seized them both roughly by the scruffs of their necks and threw them onto their separate beds. "If I catch you at it again, there WILL be consequences." He brandished his wand for emphasis before leaving them in the dark._

_Sirius waited until he was sure his father was asleep before crawling back into his sister's bed. He curled beside his twin as he had for every night of his short life."Siri?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"What if father catches us?"_

_"I don't give a damn." His voice caught on the last word. It was the first time in his life that he had uttered a swear word._

_"Don't leave me Siri"_

_"I never will."_

_They didn't fully understand what being siblings meant. As children sometimes do, They assumed that one day they would be married. Being twins further complicated their relationship. For a while, it was thought that they were mute because they relied on telepathically communicating with one another._

_They fell asleep curled up beside each other._

Sirius woke with a start.

He was staying in a flat near Privet Drive so he could keep a close watch on his godson.

He had dreams of her every so often when he let his mind wander. He didn't like to think of her very much. It brought back the old pain of the night James and Lily had died and she hadn't believed him. No one had believed him, but her disbelief had hurt the most. She hadn't even let him try to explain.

She just took off. Left. Gone. Amputated herself from him. After the initial shock of his twins' abandonment, he tucked away her memory in the darkest recesses of his mind. In Azkaban he willed himself not to think of her, but the point was moot.

Sometimes after replaying the memory finding James and Lily's bodies in the ruins of their home, his tortured mind would turn to his sister screaming "Murderer!" at the top of her lungs before dissapparating. Those were one of the worst nights in Azkaban.

It had felt like the last decent part of his soul was being torn into pieces. His sisters' abandonment now felt like an empty socket where a limb used to be. Every so often he would have phantom pains.


	6. Hate Me

**A/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, I'm working on the grand finale of this fic. (it's a backward way to write, but that's how I do it. I would LOVE SOME REVIEWS! :3)**

The castle never looked as forlorn as it did during summer holidays. It was still beautiful, but the lack of students' laughter made it austere to look at, painful, almost.

She nervously braided her thick hair, forcing her hands to keep busy while her mind raced. _I don't know why I'm here. It's not like Dumbledore can assuage my guilt. I know he's innocent now...It was my own selfishness that made me abandon him._

She swung her plait over her shoulder, finally getting enough courage to knock on the enormous castle doors.

The Daily Prophet never explained how he was innocent, and that was the thing that irked had given her many sleepless nights after the proclamation. How was he innocent?

The charges before had been ironclad...And yet- she knew deep within in her bones that her twin could never harm Lily, James, or Harry. When he loved, he loved passionately, loyally. The only way he could harm someone was if they had betrayed him or had hurt the ones he loved.

She shivered despite it being a warm day. She had seen her brother murderously angry before, surely he wouldn't welcome her back with open arms after what she had done. She knew that if she met with her brother, she would undoubtedly leave within an inch of her life.

_I'd deserve it._ She thought ruefully as the castle doors creaked open.

"Ah, Miss Black, how good to see you. Please, come in. We'll go to my office to discuss this- err- discrepancy."

Calista followed Dumbledore into the Great Hall, praying to repair what she had done.


	7. So We Meet Again

Calista had barely entered the office before she saw another figure sitting in an armchair that was positioned near Dumbledore's desk. Her heart leapt to her throat, beating an erratic rhythm against her windpipe.

The man turned around, looking agitated. "Look Albus, if you're to have me hanging around all day, I'd like to go spend some time with Harry before term-" His words died in his throat as he saw who entered with the headmaster.

"Calista! What're you - Why is SHE HERE?" Sirius roared, his grey eyes darting between them, anger evident in his every feature. Calista couldn't breathe.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from her twin. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him through their long years apart. "She is here at my invitation, as are you, Sirius." Dumbledore said calmly, his blue eyes twinkling ever so slightly.

"It seems you two have a lot of catching up to do."

Sirius stared at the older wizard as if he had lost his mind. He crossed his arms over his chest and addressed the ceiling. "I'd rather not, Albus."

"If you want to adopt Harry, you will."

Sirius glowered at him. "So you're using my godson as a bargaining chip for me to talk to you?"

He turned his cold gaze to Calista, whose anger flared at once. "I had no idea he was planning this, you touchy arsehole."

Dumbledore clapped his hands excitedly. "It looks as though we're off to a start!"

Many hours later, when the three had finally exhausted themselves , Dumbledore finally showed them out of his office. The rays of the setting sun cast amber shadows across his face, making the headmaster look older than he actually was. "I want you two to build upon what we discussed here today. In order for Harry to have a proper home, he needs to have his adoptive father mend his remaining relationships."

Sirius nodded grimly. "So he can have a somewhat normal, healthy upbringing- yeah I know."

Dumbledore gave them a cheery wave before closing the office door behind them.

The pair made their way to the front entrance in silence, Calista taking shy glimpses of her brother as they walked. He was thinner, so much so that she could make out his collar bones jutting over his collar. His hair was longer than she remembered, but it had maintained its glossy obsidian sheen.

"Trying to see how Azkaban changed me?" He said gruffly. She moved farther away from him on the path, stung by the harshness in his voice. They had reached the front gates. She turned and began walking toward Hogsmeade, not willing to spare him the sight of the tears going down her face. He caught her arm and pulled her into a gruff embrace. "Calista. I'm sorry. I'm trying. I really am. I'm still angry with you. I'm not going to lie about it. You can understand that, can't you?"

She began to sob, throwing her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. "I'm sorry I was such a shit sister before- I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"Cali- the circumstances were pretty awful- I mean it did look like I-"

She disentangled herself from him and shook her head. "No, Siri. I should have heard you out."

He pulled her close again, "We'll figure it out. Together, this time."


	8. Ghosts of Family Dinners Past

**Hi guys. I thought Calista could do with some fleshing out as a character. I wanted you to be able to see how she's Sirius's sister and what they went through during their childhood, etc. This is a filler/flashback chapter to show why Sirius was so ready to begin a new life without his crazy parents. I would love some reviews. /sniffles./ They would make me feel a lot better. *hint hint***

The spacious dining hall was lit by rows of candles that cast ominous shadows over the entire room. The family ate in silence, the lack of conversation punctuated by the clink of knife and fork clinking against porcelain.

Sirius risked a glance at his twin across the vast table. She looked nearly as miserable as he felt. Her waist-length black hair had been yanked and pulled into a vast and complicated up-do by their mother, who insisted that they dress "properly" for dinner with their father.

She had forced Calista into a stiff, high-collared dress for the occasion before turning her maniacal eye into her oldest son, dragging out his most formal, horrible dress wear and scraping his thick black hair off of his face with a plethora of hair product that had a scent that reminded him distinctly of undiluted bubotuber pus.

He sensed that this dinner had a purpose. Both Regulus and their mother were excused from this sad excuse of family togetherness, which he did not take as a positive sign, no matter how much he disliked being near his mother and younger brother.

Their father finally set down his knife and fork. A house elf appeared at his side instantly, bowing as it took away his empty plate.

He was an austere looking man. They had inherited his jet black hair, grey eyes, and refined features, but whereas the twins had warmth and compassion, their father remained cold and heartless, his haughty features a precursor to his innate cruelty.

"You'll be both coming of age soon," He began in his deep, careless voice.

"We could have told you that without this ridiculous dinner." Sirius said dully, not bothering to mask his distaste.

Orion Black looked upon his oldest son with distaste.

"Do not speak unless you are spoken to." He said coldly.

Sirius grit his teeth, but bit back the bitter rebuttal that he longed to hurl at his father.

"As you are the oldest male, you are the rightful heir to the Black lineage and fortune, as piteous of an heir you are, you still are by all current wizarding law."

"Hooray for me," He said before he could stop himself. Orion bored his lifeless grey eyes into his son before continuing.

"As for you, Calista- since you are of the fairer, weaker sex, you will be announcing your betrothal as soon as you are of age. You're excellent breeding stock, despite the shame you and your brother have brought upon our most noble and ancient house of Black."

Sirius forgot how to breathe. It was as if someone had sucked all of the oxygen out of the room. Calista stared at their father, the little color that she held in her pale face had blanched, giving her the appearance of a corpse.

"No."

It was barely a whisper. If Sirius hadn't seen his sisters lips move, he would have thought he had imagined her speaking. Orion continued his monologue, uncaring that his only daughter seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown. "You and Lucius Malfoy will announce your betrothal during the summer ball at Malfoy manor-"

"I. Said. _NO_."

Calista leapt to her feet, the color returning to her face in a blaze of fury. "I will _not_ marry that disgusting prick- I won't!"

With a crack, a gash appeared on her face. Orion lowered his wand with a lethal slowness. "I will not be spoken to like that in my home. Sit down, Calista."

She wouldn't sit. She withdrew her wand, her face beautiful and terrible, all at once.

"I've had it with you- with this family- I'm going."

Sirius rose from his chair, keeping a wary eye on his father, who hadn't risen from his seat yet.

In a few long strides, he reached his sister, who by this point was trembling. "If you walk out that door, both of you are dead to us all!"

They left without looking back.


End file.
